DVD
REVIEW: METROPIA11/13/10

OVERVIEW: You have never experienced anything like Metropia, the noir vision of Europe in 2024 by animator, writer and director Tarik Saleh. Vincent Gallo (Buffalo ’66), Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear), Stellan Skarsgård (Mamma Mia!), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), and Udo Kier (Shadow of the Vampire) voice the inhabitants of the future Continent, connected by an Orwellian web of underground railways and blind alleys.

The world is running out of oil. The underground train systems have been connected, creating a gigantic network beneath Europe. In a suburb of Stockholm, Roger (Gallo) avoids the underground because every time he enters it, he hears a stranger’s voice in his head. Is someone trying to control him? To help him escape this disturbing web, he looks to the mysterious Nina (Lewis) but the farther they travel, the deeper he becomes involved in a dark conspiracy.
See the visually-arresting film that captured the Future Film Digital Award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in 2009 and has captivated audiences around the world with its singular look and feel.

“The animation is mesmerizing to watch…It’s a world populated by people with eyes so startling you won’t want to look away,” says the Los Angeles Times. “Metropia feels like a mash-up of scenes, ideas and metaphors from all over the sci-fi universe,” marvels Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir. “[It] seems channeled straight from the 21st century’s collective subconscious.” Film School Rejects hails the film’s unique approach as “a stroke of genius” and The New York Times calls it “technically innovative.”

The single disc comes with a revealing interview with director Tarik Saleh and members of Metropia’s indelible cast.

SYNOPSIS: METROPIA takes
place in a not-so-distant but terrifying Europe of the future.
The world is running out of oil and the underground train
systems have been connected, creating a gigantic subway network
beneath Europe. In a suburb of Stockholm, Roger (Vincent Gallo,
Buffalo ’66) tries to stay away from the underground because
every time he enters, he hears a stranger’s voice in his head.
Is someone trying to control him? To help him escape the
disturbing web of the Metro, he looks to the mysterious Nina (Juliette
Lewis, Whip It) but the further they travel, the deeper he’s
involved in a dark conspiracy. This star-studded, “technically
innovative” (The New York Times) animated sci-fi thriller also
features Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), Stellan Skarsgård
(Mamma Mia!) and Udo Kier (Shadow of the Vampire).